A Guide to Making Your Own Coffee

What would life be like if you didn’t spend every morning in a coffee shop? Making your own coffee will give you something to be proud of every morning. It’ll save you time and money, as well as add something more authentic to your morning ritual. The initial investment in your own coffee-making equipment may seem expensive, but it’s quickly made up when giving up daily spending. If you’re interested in making your own coffee, here are some tips for getting started.

What you’ll need

To make the perfect cup of coffee, you’ll need a few supplies. Because the flavor of coffee comes from oils trapped within coffee beans, freshly grounded coffee beans make a big impact on the quality of your coffee. Of course, you can buy a cheaper bag of beans from Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, but if you want the highest quality, you should invest in a coffee grinder. While some coffee grinders can break the bank, you can find hand grinders for as low as $30.

Alternatively, try shopping locally for coffee beans — if they’ve been roasted nearby, they’re probably fresher than coffee beans that have been sitting in a truck for who knows how long.

In addition to buying beans and something to grind them with, you’ll want to buy a digital scale. Food scales are relatively cheap and will help you figure out how much you’re grinding as well as how much water to add.

Methods for creating the perfect cup

Coffee requires hot water, so you’ll need something that can boil water. If you already have an automatic coffee maker, you’re all set. If not, you have a few options. There’s no “right” answer here, just focus on picking the option most convenient for you and your budget.

A quality automatic dripper costs under $40 and has user-friendly features, like a removable water reservoir and a programmable auto-brew timer. However, automatic drippers require regular cleaning — if you make coffee often, be prepared to set aside time to clean it each week.

Another option is the French press. If you don’t know how to use a French press, don’t worry — it’s actually one of the easiest brewing methods. A French press consists of a carafe and a meshed filter. Start by placing the grounds in the bottom of the carafe. Next, pour hot water over the grounds and let brew for four to seven minutes. Push the filter down to keep the grounds away while you’re pouring your cup. If you choose a French press, make sure you have a kettle to boil water in.

The last option is fancier and pricier than the rest. To use the pourover method, you place a filter into a dripper cup, place grounds in the filter, and place the dripper cup on top of a coffee cup. Finish by pouring water over the grounds. The pourover method is also more lengthy than the rest, but arguably creates the best cup of coffee.

Making the coffee

Now that you have beans, a grinder, a scale, and hot water, you can brew your own cup of coffee. The fineness or coarseness of the grind and the coffee-to-water ratio are all up to your personal taste. If you’re not sure where to start, try a 19-to-1 water to grounds ratio and grind the beans at a medium coarseness. For every gram of coffee you grind, pour 19 grams of water over it. Feel free to experiment with different strengths until you find the one that tastes best for you.

Once you begin making your own coffee at home, you’ll realize how much time and money you’re saving. You’ll also be able to experiment with your personal taste, and trips to coffee shops will start feeling more special. You’ll be a coffee connoisseur in no time.